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As far as materials we display in the museum go, few are as controversial as ivory. And it’s no wonder: the most well-known source of ivory is elephant tusks, whose trade severely effected their population. At MIA, we have many ivory pieces on display and often get questions about how it was obtained, where it was obtained and why it was used at all. These are all good questions and ones I want to address.

Ivory in the Arctic generally comes from one of two sources: walrus or narwhal tusks. The word “tusks,” though, is misleading: what we call tusks are actually overgrown incisor teeth. Normally a male narwhal’s upper left incisor tooth begins to protrude (female narwhal generally don’t have a tusk), while both upper incisor teeth on a walrus do the same. Very rarely, both of a narwhal’s upper incisor teeth will protrude, too. The narwhal’s tusk is also the subject of a traditional Inuit legend.

The ivory pieces in the museum range from small Thule objects like the comb featured above to intricately carved tusks incorporated into stone sculptures, like those used by Bart Hanna (1948 – ) from Iglulik. Using these pieces of ivory is a way for Inuit artists to essentially recycle: once the animal has been used for its primary purpose, food, the leftover ivory is also utilized.

Posted by: Alysa Procida, MIA’s Educational Officer

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Thank you for visiting the Museum of Inuit Art Blog. Please note that with the closure of the MIA in May 2016 this blog will no longer be monitored. Please feel free to use the provided content for educational and personal use.